Dummies Used to Teach Hospital Staff

Delivering High Risk Baby Dolls Could Help Save Human Lives

They're a bunch of dummies! By using computerized birthing and baby dolls to simulate high-risk deliveries and everything from hemorrhage to seizures, medical staffers can practice and fine tune their responses to emergency situations without human lives being at risk. St. Peter's Hospital in Montana invested $16,000 in the birth doll set and a computer system that it uses to teach its staff. One report said:

Noelle is a training mannequin, much like Annie, the doll used for CPR classes. Noelle can simulate all types of birthing situations. She’s life-size, anatomically correct, has a heartbeat and pulse and can be hooked up to an IV. She comes with a baby — called Baby Blue — that also has life-like components.

A recent episode of Grey's Anatomy had doctors learning crisis response methods on dummies. What do you think of the practice?